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A Tale of Two Jacks
I’ve been using Planet Waves (now D’Addario) cables for years. Solid construction and a no-nonsense warranty policy have kept me as a repeat buyer as the need arises.
A new guitar purchase has made me question this. My go-to guitar cable would not stay in the socket. It seemed to latch, but popped out at some inopportune time seconds or minutes later. I even returned the guitar, and found the same thing happening with its replacement. Poking around in the cable box, I found a no-name cable that is rock solid. So, after a bit of searching, and some actual measurements, I determined that the jack on the PW cable is actually shorter than one that works. Quite why this guitar should be so finicky, and all my others be just fine is immaterial. A 1/4” jack plug is a 1/4” jack plug, isn’t it? Apparently not. Anyone else ever come across this? First picture is no-name, second is PW. IMG_1705537206.059226.jpgIMG_1705537216.593233.jpg
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo Last edited by David Eastwood; 01-17-2024 at 06:25 PM. |
#2
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It needs to mate appropriately with the JACK it plugs into. What you are picturing is a PLUG.
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#3
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I have had this problem before. My solution of the past has been to change cables until it stopped being a problem. I think you have just found a reason to account for the problem.
Cool! - Glenn
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My You Tube Channel |
#4
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Quote:
Good grief.
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#5
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Apparently, I have the naming convention wrong - but at least one person (you) understood what I was talking about.
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#6
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No offense, but you have to ask the right question to get the right answer.
You can find the CORRECT dimension by perusing Switchcraft's information. They are a major manufacturer and you can find the information you seek. Switchcraft PLUGS and JACKS (no sockets...) No grief necessary. Seriously, look at the actual specifications and you can determine if your plug is manufactured to appropriate specifications or if it should be labeled as bargain bin cabling. That's all I have to offer. Last edited by Rudy4; 01-17-2024 at 07:44 PM. |
#7
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Quote:
Unfortunately, the specification is incomplete - it shows the overall length of the portion of the plug that is inserted in the jack, and its diameter. It does not specify anything about the tip and its proportions, which is where the problem I encountered is found. As can be seen in the photos, the Planet Waves plug has a longer tip, thus shortening the sleeve portion of the shaft, and moving the indentation where the jack's tip contact is intended to reside, locking the plug in place. Both it, and the no-name plug are actually the same length, and conform to the Switchcraft spec in that regard. The PW cable (hardly 'bargain bin') works in every other guitar I own, which is why I assumed it must be an issue with the new guitar.
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo Last edited by David Eastwood; 01-19-2024 at 07:34 AM. Reason: Sleeve, not ring |
#8
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Cable issues can be frustrating to diagnose and ironically simple to solve. I was patching an acoustic amp into our band's PA system via the line out on the amp. It was a 1/4" connection. A TRS cable did not work. There was a slight buzz at the snake and very little signal transferred to the mixer and consequently the speaker system. An unbalanced cable worked perfectly. I've never experienced that before, but it happened last week.
My late model Yamaha acoustic-electric guitars occasionally had a bad connection. I tried the best cables money can buy. Nothing helped. That ended up being a faulty battery sled/input jack issue only resolved by replacing the input jack/battery box unit.
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As my username suggests, huge fan of Yamaha products. Own many acoustic-electric models from 2009-present and a couple electric. Lots of PA too. |
#9
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On a TS or TRS jack (female connection that resides on the instrument) the tip connection is a long "prong" coming off the side. This flexes every time you plug in and unplug a cord. I have seen these wear out to the point they no longer reliably make a good connection. The slightly longer plug can probably make better contact with a worn tip connection.
I have removed, disassembled, straighten, reassembled and reinstalled jacks, but if I'm going to that much effort it's just as easy to replace with a new one. |
#10
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Quote:
I ended up with an instrument with exactly the same issue, which is where we came in
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#11
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Quote:
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ƃuoɹʍ llɐ ʇno əɯɐɔ ʇɐɥʇ |
#12
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Thanks for the additional notes, David.
This is a most interesting "case study", and it seems the devil is indeed in the details. The rough specifications of both plugs, 1-3/16" shoulder to tip, are close on both plugs, but from your photos it's obvious that the manufacturers take liberties with how they shape the tip portion of the plug. I do remember reading part of a cable description that even touted their tip end shape as being "easier" to insert and remove. I don't remember what manufacturer and that's been many years ago. I'm also not a fan of sealed jacks, although it's obviously better for keeping errant stuff such as carpet fuzz away from the connection points. It sounds to me like you are experiancing the "perfect storm" of having a "unique" tip shape on the plug matched up with a less than ideal spring connection within the jack. Does this mean you have no problems, as long as you use your secondary cable? Hopefully this at least remediates the problem if you like the guitar and don't want to change the jack. |
#13
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Lesson learned. The jack reliability issue happens often enough that StewMac and other supply houses now carry the Pure Tone 1/4" jacks that have TWO spring connections that grasp and contact the plug tip from opposite sides. |
#14
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I actually had a Pure Tone jack in my Amazon cart ready to go, before I figured it was actually a plug problem
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |
#15
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I've got a silent-connect cable - it works fine in everything except one guitar and a mandolin where it doesn't connect. Oh, and it doesn't stay in a G&L jack, but neither does any other plug.
D.H. |